FOODPANDA REVIEW~ order from the comfort of your home/office!!

Hey guys, today I have to share a great find with you!
Foodpanda.in ....Aint the name cute??I love PANDAS!!

Last week I landed on this site and thought I must dig in further :-)...its basically a site on which you can order food online from any restaurant in the vicinity, the menus are displayed so are the prices, for all the restaurants, which saves one the hassle of jumping from site to site, in case your friend wants Italian and you, Chinese:-)...but the best part is a lot of combos and cool deals all over the site!
You can even preorder upto 3 days before or select from the kind of cuisine you are in the mood for...saves a lot of headache and last minute hassles!!

So if you are lucky enough to be living in any of the following cities in India...log in/call them today!!!

Bangalore
Delhi
Faridabad
Greater Noida
Gurgaon
Hyderabad
Indirapuram-Ghaziabad
Jaipur
Mumbai
Noida
Panchkula-Chandigarh-Mohali
Pune

FREE HOTLINE
0 95555 98888 (11AM to 11PM)

Foodpanda in the world
Singapore Thailand Malaysia Indonesia Pakistan Vietnam Taiwan

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BE SMART...DIY LIKE HE DID IT!

My brother lives alone in the US alone and is constantly in a fix about everything,... specifically Cooking...and he is forever on the phone with me asking me what to do???what to cook???how to cook???what to eat??? and so on and so forth haha.
Recently he came across an even bigger problem, his stove was not working and trust me it is enough for him to throw a fit... and call me up...of course lol, after hearing him out patiently, I suggested that he get either a repairman or as a last resort another stove top, now he being a student and on a tight budget at that was so completely devastated...then suddenly it stuck me...I had come across this cool website Partselect.com.
Both of us logged onto the site together and heyy check this out...there it was, everything you ever needed and on top of that- same day shipping, 30 day returns, 2 million parts, as we checked out the brand he owns there was even listings by colour, material and what not!
He quickly checked out what he needed, and there are even videos of how to replace that part, how helpful is that.I then pointed out to another good feature a Virtual repairman!, you just put in the model number and he will diagnose the problem for u!!
All in all so very helpful and my brother happily reported he got the stove fixed at a fraction of the cost, so I decided to post about it so that it helps my readers in a fix just liked it helped my bro!

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Bakeware set shopping at CSN stores

First of all wishing my lovely readers a very Happy New Year! Hope you guys partied hard, coz I certainly did :-)...secondly I am soooo excited...finally I would be getting my first Springform pan, have been eying one for a really long time..., cheesecakes here I come!I think the benefits of such a pan are many, for sponge cakes, cheesecakes and angel cakes, they are so convenient, will be getting one from CSN stores, they have a great collection esp. their cute little tart and quiche pans.
And they also have a terrific range of Modern office furniture, which would be just lovely in my New office..so I am all set for some serious 2011 shopping!!
Till then take care

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DIWALI NOSTALGIA...Rangoli at work!

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HOW TO KEEP FIT DURING DIWALI!

Eat only the foods you really enjoy.

Limit yourself to eating only those foods you really enjoy. Do not use the season as an excuse to over-indulge.

Watch out for emotional eating.

Watch out for stuffing your mouth to relieve some of that stress from arranging and attending parties and meeting friends and family.

Get enough sleep.

Believe it or not, some studies have shown that when people are short on sleep, they eat more.

Have realistic expectations.

Diwali is not the time to try and lose weight. Consider yourself successful just to maintain your weight. Don’t feel guilty either if, in spite of your best efforts, you put on a kg or two. A few kgs are easily taken care of when your schedule gets back to normal in December.

Beware the “all-or-nothing” attitude.

This time can be deadly if you have the “all-or-nothing” attitude towards food. This attitude says: “What’s the use? I over ate during the Diwali party. I might as well stop watching what I eat and go all the way”

Create lower calorie versions of high calorie favorites.

If you are talented in the kitchen, consider modifying some of your favorite recipes to make them lower in total calorie content.

Eat low-calorie at home, high-calorie when eating out.

To really enjoy all the rich food that is served at parties without putting on too much weight, eat low calorie meals at home to even out the total damage.

Modify your fitness routine.

You need exercise now more than any other time during the year to manage stress levels and to burn off all those excess calories.

Instead of not exercising at all, try modifying your usual routine by cutting down on either the frequency or the duration of your workouts. If you are used to working out daily, try cutting it down to two to three times a week. If you are used to one-hour workouts, try doing only thirty minutes. The whole point is that you should continue to do some exercise instead of none at all. Not only will this maintain your fitness till the end of year, but it will also help calm you.

                                                          

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PHOTOS AND PHOTOGRAPHERS... getting inspired!!

A friend mailed me these pics (they seem to be just like food bloggers! :)), sharing them with you all...enjoy!

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HAPPY NEW YEAR!

WISHING YOU ALL A VERY HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR!

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Tuberoses (rajnigandha)

My favorite flowers..your's too?

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DIWALI WISHES FROM THE HEART!

"DEEP JALTE JHILMILATE RAHE, HUM AAPKO, AAP HAME YAAD AATE RAHE, JAB TAK ZINDAGI HAI, DUA HAI HUMARI AAP CHAND KI TARAH JAGMAGATE RAHE"

WISHING YOU AND YOUR FAMILY A VERY HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS DIWALI

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EXPLORING MUSSOORIE AND LANDOUR...

I just came back from a recent trip to Mussoorie and Landour, though I have been going to Mussoorie all my life, it was the old world charm of Landour that took my breath away, it was really beautiful. We stayed at Hotel Dev Dar Woods , the experience was quite good, like a big family, we met people who had come from all over the World, mainly to learn Hindi at the nearby Landour language School, which was quite surprising to me, I mean we always ran from Hindi in School, but now as a grown up I realise how much we take ourselves and our culture for granted.The hotel has a great view though the upkeep is a bit shoddy, but still the staff I found quite friendly and co-operative unlike the views that some people have written about them on the Net.Coming to the food part, they serve some yummy pizzas, made from a scratch, the family pizza priced at Rs.275/-was real good, the rooms are priced at about Rs.800/-.As is the case in most places up in the hills, food has to be ordered beforehand as it takes time for them to build up a meal for you, the day we reached we ordered a pizza, some fries, Chicken curry and rice, everything was very simply cooked much like home food and we enjoyed it, next morning we walked down to Char dukan, a famous spot for some good yet overpriced breakfast, on the way we passed the Kellogg Memorial Church and then reached St.Pauls Church, both peacefully lovely.

We had Omelettes, Maggi and Waffles at Char Dukan then we went for a long walk did some shopping, yes speaking of shopping there's loads of good imported stuff to buy at Prakash store, incidentally he owns Dev dar Woods too, we brought Kraft Cheese, St Dalfour jams, Yak milk cheese (homemade), Peanut butter, Sweet chilli sauce, candy and lots of other stuff, this shop caters to the students at Woodstock School nearby, thus it sells all such kind of stuff.

This place is know as Sisters bazaar, all I can say is that it was a lovely serene holiday where it is like just Me and Myself and lots of serious thinking, taking in the breathtaking beauty or simply chat up with someone from eh..Paris? or maybe you might bump into Ruskin Bond, Victor Banerjee, Prannoy Roy, Sachin Tendulkar! they all have homes here.

Most of the houses have a No tresspassing sign, more interesting signs were-

The sign on the first tree says- No tresspassing BEWARE OF DOG, the sign on the second tree has the picture of the dog and it says-WE CAN MAKE IT TO THE DOOR IN 2-5 SECONDS lol!

Another sign that says it all-DONT EVEN THINK OF PARKING HERE

I leave you with some more tantalizing pics...enjoy! I will be going back there in a few months, hope to see you there too!!

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COME...WALK IN MY GARDEN

It's raining outside as the much awaited Monsoons are here and the garden is a riot of colours, almost too beautiful to believe...I am curled up with a cup of hot cocoa and instead of a recipe want to give you a peep of all that is so pretty when I look out of the window...

Anthrium, pronounced an-THOO-ree-um, are once-seen, never-forgotten flowers. Their unmistakable glossy heart-shaped bright red flower bract (which gives them their popular name of painter's palette) surrounds the true flowers, which are in the form of a spike (or spathe) at the centre. Anthuriums come in shades of reds, pinks, white, lilac, green and chocolate brown.Each flower will last about six weeks on the plant or several weeks when cut and placed in a vase of water

Calico flower-I find these absolutely fascinating and fairy-like...they are the cutest thing you ever saw!!Native to South America, Calico flower is a tender evergreen vine with very unusual flowers. Leaves are beautiful, bright green heart shaped. Slender woody stems twine gracefully in tight coils around any support, growing to heights of 10-15 ft. In summer the vine produces abundance of 3 in flowers scattered among the drooping leaves. The greenish-white flowers have a s-shaped tube that is flared at the mouth that resembles a 19th century Dutch pipe or I think more like a duck!. The inner portion surface of the mouth of the "pipe" is covered with a purplish-brown pattern that is reminiscent of calico fabric which inspire this species common name "calico flower".

China rose-Nobody knows whether the hibiscus really is a native of China as its latin name, Hibiscus rosa-sinensis, (rosa-sinensis = Chinese Rose) suggests or not. Many believe, it comes from India. This large shrub or small tree grows to 15 feet high. Flowers are glorious and huge and occur in many colors. Most are flared and have a bell shape and may be single or double, smooth or scalloped.

Wishbone Flower- What a lovely name! The pale violet flowers have deep purple blotches on the lower petals with yellow inside. The cool colors are a welcome relief during the heat of summer. Flowers bloom throughout the summer and autumn.

Sweet William is a species of Dianthus native to the mountains of southern Europe, with a variety in northeastern China, Korea, and southeasternmost Russia. The flowers are produced in a dense cluster of up to 30 at the top of the stems and have a spicy, clovelike scent. There are varieties with red, pink and white flowers. The plant is widely used in borders, rock gardens. Sweet William flowers attracts birds, bees and butterflies. Many legends purport to explain how Sweet William acquired its name, but none is verified. It is variously said to be named after Saint William of York, William the Conqueror, or Prince William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland. Another etymological derivation is that william is a corruption of the French oillet, meaning "little eye". Sweet William is a favourite name for lovelorn young men in English folklore.How sweet is that!

Hydrangea is a rounded shrub, flowers are arranged in huge, ball shaped clusters on the most common varieties. The name probably comes from the resemblance of the flowerheads to mops!!Isn't that unusual??. Hydrangeas are fascinating in that, unlike most other plants, the color of their flowers can change dramatically. Changing a hydrangea from pink to blue entails adding aluminum to the soil. Changing from blue to pink means subtracting aluminum from the soil or taking it out of reach of the hydrangea. Though we commonly call it French hydrangea, Hydrangea macrophylla is native to Japan and Korea.

text source- http://www.flowersofindia.net/catalog/garden.html -pictures are all from my garden

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"DEJHAROO" a lovely Kashmiri Ornament...

Kashmiri women generally love jewellery,"Dejharoo" is the typical Kashmiri ornament that comprises of a pair of gold pendants that hang on a long gold chain which passes through holes in the ears.Dejharoo symbolises a married woman much like the "mangal sutra".

The above pictures are of Kashmiri friends of mine, the mother above is wearing a "dejharoo" with a pendant which is much heavier and elaborate, I came to know she got her inner ears pierced when she was a child whereas the daughter is wearing one which is much more delicate and has just got her ears pierced recently when she got married.

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A KASHMIRI TARAMI

A search on google throws up the name of a few restaurants serving Kashmiri food, there is nothing I could find that shows the beauty of this traditional Kashmiri utensil, so painstakingly carved out of hand, look closely and you will be able to see the "chinar" leaves reminiscent of beloved Kashmir...and a bygone era...

Immerse yourself in the intricate workmanship and you will realize you are transported back in time...to the Valley...

'Gar firdaus bar rue zameen ast / hameen asto, hameen asto, hameen ast'


(If ever there is Paradise on Earth / It is here! It is here! It is here! )

- A farsi couplet of Amir Khusrau believed to have been uttered by Jahagir for paradise Kashmir.

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A 100 YEAR OLD TEASET AND A PRINCESS...

My grandmother lived the life of a princess in Kashmir... before partition. She would reminiscence about the "Bals" a lot, (father and grandfather of the famous Indian designer- Rohit Bal") they were apparently great family friends! and also about the magnificent clothes she would wear, sometimes her dupattas had hand carved fishes set out in real gold, sewn on them, and all the great parties they would go to all the time, little did she know that it was all shortlived, and with the British Raj, all of this would also go away...

After partition the family fled Kashmir with whatever little they could carry, one of those things was a beautiful Teaset in pure silver, and with little money decided to start a new life.Her father soon met with simple young man hailing from Hoshiarpur (Punjab) who I am told had nothing to his credit but was hardworking which was the only quality seen and soon my grandmother was married off to him, after marriage the real struggles of life began and I am told that at times they had no money to eat also, and my nani would sell off her precious possessions one by one for the next meal.

Inspite of the trends of those times, she was well educated and a Dentist by profession, had done a number of courses specially in Food and preservation, and was a fabulous cook, her Chicken pulao was to die for!,some other things she used to make were not common in any Indian kitchen in those times, like her famous Brinjal sauce, Walnut cake, Caramel pudding and so on....my guess is that the influence of the British was apparent, but mind you her recipes were a closely guarded secret and one she would never like to disclose and alas!..have all gone with her, though otherwise she was kind, spent all her time in the kitchen and never scolded her two children!My family says I take after her where cooking is concerned..but I have tried to recreate her pulao hmmm with little success...

Time passed by and I think because of all that she went through my nani developed an Obsessive compulsive disorder and would never throw out even a piece of scrap, she also turned into a miser and a hoarder of mammoth proportions!, as my grandfather worked hard and was sucessful, my grandmother refused to budge and would always keep aside money in case bad times would befall upon them again, you will not believe me but when she passed away and we went through her stuff, it was heart wrenching to see that she had hoarded sugar, ghee, spices, dry fruits in her bedroom!, we also came across like a zillion metres of fabric, and atleast six pairs of the same design of shoes and sandals!

Well coming to the heirloom, more than a 100 year old pure silver teaset, I wonder how it never got sold off!, I guess so that I could blog about it here!!...

It is actually poetry in silver, with the signature "chinar" leaf , the beauty and spirit of Kashmir etched out by hand by a master craftsman...

so peaceful and serene hiding all the turmoil within, just like the Valley...

Savour the pictures...

If you are interested in Kashmir or in the cuisine of the Valley do read my previous posts- Wazwaan the heart and soul of Kashmir

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